Once A Month Cooking...

...Well Sort Of...

There came a time when baby #4, #5, or #6 was on the way

That this Mom decided it's was about "time" to save the day

We all know what "time" I speak of the most

It's the hours from 3:00pm-5:00pm that I write of in this post

From the big kids you have crayons, papers, pencils, and books

From the little ones...you get the "I'm STARVING" looks

 No one is happy, they all want a hug

Or simply to annoy one another just to be a bug

"Mommy", I hear, just as dinner gets going

"I need help with my nose...it needs blowing."

When I finally find the child that has been calling upon me

I also see them dancing, they NEED to go pee.

Can they go on their own? Of course not.

They want me to sit and watch them on the pot.

I manage to step a way for a few

To cut up the brocolli and carrots too

Then someone must show me their tower they built so hollow

That I soon forget about the recipe I am to follow.

Before you know it daddy has arrived

And he opens the door to a not so big surprise!

The house is a mess with toys everywhere

And the smell of dinner...is NOT in the air.

Mommy is SPENT and Daddy is HUNGRY

Which together can make us very angry.

A thought crosses my mind in a blink of an eye

I've got it...I think...Well, at least I can try.

I heard once of a thing called cooking ahead

Thought about it a lot then began to dread,

The hours I'd spend chopping a way

Only to find it has been a WHOLE day.

Planning ahead makes a lot of good sense,

But with 5 kids, even that can be tense.

So instead of "Once A Month Cooking" the traditional ways

I've chosen to do it one recipe every few days.

I've found a new blog of a mom who has already been there

She has some wonderful recipes with us to share.

Not only are they quick and easy to make

You don't even need the oven to bake!

My favorites of course are the ones you mix & freeze

Everything is together in one bag...It's a breeze!

Just grab a bag and find a spot

For that handy 'ol CROCK - POT!

Meat, Veggies, & Spices are all there

All mixed together with extra special care!

 Tonight was my first attempt of it's kind

2 bags of dinner - Chicken Curry - you will find!

My freezer's still bare but I hope things will change

As I attempt to become a mom who is SANE!

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 I really found satisfaction this evening in making my first set of freezer meals.  After the kids went down it took me about an hour and a half to be completely done.  I think splitting it up over the week will help me not feel too overwhelmed.  Honestly there is no way I can see myself spending one day a month cooking many many meals - nor does budget allow for buy a month of ingredients!  But if I can break it down in to more "manageable" tasks, that sounds great to me!  Here is a photo of the Chicken Curry I bagged this evening.

It has the chicken, mango, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and zucchini already diced (or chopped).  Everything (excluding the chicken) has been seasoned fully.  I wasn't too sure about about adding the raw meat in with the veggies, so I bagged the chicken separately then added the bag of chicken to the big bag of veggies to freeze together!

For those who are interested, Here is the "Freeze & Dump" recipe:

Chicken Curry

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5-2 pounds chicken thighs, or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces.
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes.
2 cups baby carrots.
2 cup coarsely chopped mango.  Or 2 cans of chopped mango.
1 cup chopped onion.
1 zucchini chopped, about one cup.
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chicken bouillon, one per bag.
.5 cup raisins (for garnish)

.5 cup peanuts or cashews (for garnish)

Dump everything into two, one gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freeze. 

To cook, take out of freezer and set on counter for about 30 minutes, then dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.